The Prince and I: A Romantic Mystery (The Royal Biography Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) by Julie Sarff, The Hope Diamond, The Heir to Villa Buschi Page B
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couldn’t have been any kind of a ménage . I knew Sean wouldn’t do anything like that.
“The other girl had brown hair in a ponytail, and a green knapsack that had a gold dragon on it.”
“A green knapsack?” I ask. I know someone who has a green knapsack with a gold dragon. “Tamara Banks, that’s who you’re talking about?” I question.
He looks stymied.
“Well, I certainly hope you didn’t tell the police that you thought anything untoward was happening in that apartment. Tamara Banks and Sean worked together, she’s a leading archeologist. She has tenure at Princeton.”
The man stares up at me, he must be 5’3” at the most, and he is incredibly thin. He wears a grey jogging suit and slippers. I watch as the expression on his face changes from one of curiosity to one of petulance. Perhaps he thought Sean was having an affair? Perhaps I have burst his bubble by telling him that Sean was just meeting with a colleague?
“She deserves better,” the neighbor from 4B sniffs, “And tell me what would his archeologist friend be doing coming over when Tatum was out, and at all hours of the day?”
I make a sort of exasperated sound, like a tire letting out air. Fortunately, at that moment the elevator doors open. I climb in and press the button for the lobby. To my dismay, Tatum’s creepy little neighbor pops through the gap in the doors at the last minute.
“Once I overheard them having a huge argument,” he sniffs as the elevator heads for the lobby.
“Tamara and Sean?”
“Yeah, that tall girl and Mr. McKenzie. He followed her out to the hall. She was yelling, and he was trying to shush her.”
I don’t respond. I’m feeling really uncomfortable at this point. The elevator still has three floors to go.
“I opened my door to see what was happening and the two of them were having a tussle right in the hallway. He pulled at her bag and this amazing golden crown fell out.”
“A crown?”
“Well, what looked like a crown. It was a wreath with all the tiny golden flowers.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it was amazing, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“Are you sure it had flowers?”
“Yes, all kinds of flowers made out of gold. I thought maybe it was a stage prop at first. But by the way they both scrambled to put it back in the bag I thought it might be something more valuable.”
I ignore him and stare straight ahead.
“What’s that in your bag?” he asks, suddenly sounding shocked.
What an awful little man! Why is he looking in my bag?
“It’s meatloaf!” he shouts.
“It’s a tea cozy,” I snap, feeling quite hostile now.
Finally, the elevator emits a small “ding” of a noise. We have reached the lobby. The elevator doors part and I stampede out.
“Tamara Banks is a leading archeologist. She is working on a dig in Sardis. If she had an antiquity, I’m sure she was just showing it to a colleague. That’s all.” I project confidence as I say this, but inside I’m in turmoil. Only a fool would carry around a valuable antiquity in a knapsack; although, crazier things have happened. Harry Winston mailed the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian. He thought the last thing a thief would suspect would be a diamond going through the U.S. Mail.
Yes, it is entirely possible that, in order to get an expert opinion on things, Tamara Banks might have brought something for Sean to examine. It could have been from her dig in Sardis or any of her other projects. Still, it seems strange that she would continue to visit Sean repeatedly.
I mull this over in my mind as I use the weight of my whole body to squeeze the fourth box of clothes into the miniscule Car to Go . The nosy neighbor from 4B stands in the doorway, watching me. Once again, I ignore him and shove at my box. As I shove, I think over what this odd man has told me. I think about how it really wasn’t that long ago, a little over a year now, that Sean and I were visiting Tamara’s latest dig site. The two of us
“The other girl had brown hair in a ponytail, and a green knapsack that had a gold dragon on it.”
“A green knapsack?” I ask. I know someone who has a green knapsack with a gold dragon. “Tamara Banks, that’s who you’re talking about?” I question.
He looks stymied.
“Well, I certainly hope you didn’t tell the police that you thought anything untoward was happening in that apartment. Tamara Banks and Sean worked together, she’s a leading archeologist. She has tenure at Princeton.”
The man stares up at me, he must be 5’3” at the most, and he is incredibly thin. He wears a grey jogging suit and slippers. I watch as the expression on his face changes from one of curiosity to one of petulance. Perhaps he thought Sean was having an affair? Perhaps I have burst his bubble by telling him that Sean was just meeting with a colleague?
“She deserves better,” the neighbor from 4B sniffs, “And tell me what would his archeologist friend be doing coming over when Tatum was out, and at all hours of the day?”
I make a sort of exasperated sound, like a tire letting out air. Fortunately, at that moment the elevator doors open. I climb in and press the button for the lobby. To my dismay, Tatum’s creepy little neighbor pops through the gap in the doors at the last minute.
“Once I overheard them having a huge argument,” he sniffs as the elevator heads for the lobby.
“Tamara and Sean?”
“Yeah, that tall girl and Mr. McKenzie. He followed her out to the hall. She was yelling, and he was trying to shush her.”
I don’t respond. I’m feeling really uncomfortable at this point. The elevator still has three floors to go.
“I opened my door to see what was happening and the two of them were having a tussle right in the hallway. He pulled at her bag and this amazing golden crown fell out.”
“A crown?”
“Well, what looked like a crown. It was a wreath with all the tiny golden flowers.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it was amazing, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“Are you sure it had flowers?”
“Yes, all kinds of flowers made out of gold. I thought maybe it was a stage prop at first. But by the way they both scrambled to put it back in the bag I thought it might be something more valuable.”
I ignore him and stare straight ahead.
“What’s that in your bag?” he asks, suddenly sounding shocked.
What an awful little man! Why is he looking in my bag?
“It’s meatloaf!” he shouts.
“It’s a tea cozy,” I snap, feeling quite hostile now.
Finally, the elevator emits a small “ding” of a noise. We have reached the lobby. The elevator doors part and I stampede out.
“Tamara Banks is a leading archeologist. She is working on a dig in Sardis. If she had an antiquity, I’m sure she was just showing it to a colleague. That’s all.” I project confidence as I say this, but inside I’m in turmoil. Only a fool would carry around a valuable antiquity in a knapsack; although, crazier things have happened. Harry Winston mailed the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian. He thought the last thing a thief would suspect would be a diamond going through the U.S. Mail.
Yes, it is entirely possible that, in order to get an expert opinion on things, Tamara Banks might have brought something for Sean to examine. It could have been from her dig in Sardis or any of her other projects. Still, it seems strange that she would continue to visit Sean repeatedly.
I mull this over in my mind as I use the weight of my whole body to squeeze the fourth box of clothes into the miniscule Car to Go . The nosy neighbor from 4B stands in the doorway, watching me. Once again, I ignore him and shove at my box. As I shove, I think over what this odd man has told me. I think about how it really wasn’t that long ago, a little over a year now, that Sean and I were visiting Tamara’s latest dig site. The two of us
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